pimple ball

[Bob Haas]

I found this at Streetplay.com:

> Hot Story - The Return of the Pimple Ball
>  Every couple of months, we get a note from someone asking if we have any
> information about where they might be able to get a Pimple Ball. Well it
> looks like our friends in Philly have decided to get the ball rolling.
> Marc Polish and his associates have just found the original molds, and
> are having samples made.
>
> Marc and his crew can use your help. The original pimple balls were white.
>  They would like to know what people think about making the modern day
> version in colors. Please let Marc know by contacting him at
> sedonamax at aol.com
>
> Note to those who wonder what a pimple ball is:
> Pimple Balls were used in Philly, Boston and some other Northeastern
> cities for Wallball, Handball, Boxball, Points, Wireball, Stickball, Hit
> the Penny and some other games. If they were severly exposed to the
> elements (down a sewer or over the roof) they usually did not bounce as
> well so they were cut into halfballs. And if you had the dough, you might
> even cut up a new pimpleball for a game of Halfball.

Here's the URL:

http://www.streetplay.com/stickball/teamsandequipment.htm

Bob

On Friday, July 20, 2001, at 06:35 PM, Philip E. Cleary wrote:

> A "pimple ball" is a hollow, white, rubber ball, slightly smaller than a
> golf ball. I would describe the surface of a pimple ball as the opposite
> of
> a golf ball's: A golf ball's surface has indentations; a pimple ball's has
> small bumps (whence, I assume, the name). When I used them (in Boston in
> the
> late 50's and early 60's), it was primarily for stickball.
>
> FYI, I asked two of my teenaged kids, both native, life-long Bostonians,
> if
> they knew what a "pimple ball" was. They didn't.

"Wherever you go, there you are."

Bob Haas